House reluctant to back Munir death probe

M. Taufiqurrahman and Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The House of Representatives (DPR) appeared reluctant on Monday to lend their support for a thorough probe into the death of human rights campaigner Munir, who died of acute arsenic poisoning.

Responding to demands from human rights groups and family members for the establishment of an independent investigation team under the auspices of the President, the House Commission III on Law, Human Rights and Security only pledged that it would discuss the proposal in a plenary meeting.

"Without doubt we fully support the investigation into Munir's death, however a formal endorsement on the establishment an investigating commission can only be given by a House plenary meeting," commission chairman Agustin Teras Narang said, concluding a meeting between the commission members and human right's activists. Munir's widow, Suciwati, also attended the meeting.

Teras said the commission also agreed to establish a 7-strong team to collect information relating to Munir's untimely death that will serve as preliminary analysis to be presented at the plenary meeting. "However, the team will be different from the one we previously formed," he told reporters after the meeting.

Scores of rights activists including lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis, senior advocate Adnan Buyung Nasution, member of the National Commission on Human Rights M.M. Billah, director of human rights watch (Imparsial) Rachland Nashidik, Bambang Widjojanto and Smita Notosusanto met with the commission to renew their calls for the speedy inquiry into the mysteries surrounding Munir's death.

They also demanded the establishment of an independent investigating team under the direct supervision of the President to help the work of the existing team set up by the National Police and the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

On behalf of Munir's widow, the group also called on the police to hand over a copy of the autopsy report. It is not clear why police have not given Suciwati a copy of the report.

Munir died aboard a Garuda Indonesia flight a few hours before landing at Schipol airport in Amsterdam on Sept. 7. The autopsy report showed an excessive level of arsenic in his blood.

Meanwhile, the police gave an assurance on Monday that the formal request from the Indonesian government required to obtain a copy of Munir's original autopsy report from the Dutch government, would be made available on Tuesday. Police said Indonesian law required an original copy of the autopsy report if the case was to be investigated.

"What happened (regarding the autopsy report) was just a little confusion because of the different administrative systems of the two countries. A formal request from the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights and the Attorney General's Office is needed since investigators and forensic departments in the Netherlands are put under these two institutions," National Police detectives chief Comr. Gen. Suyitno Landung said.

The police team, which left for the Netherlands last Thursday said that they could not start their probe as they failed to produce such a formal request.

Suyitno, however, said the team had in fact been given a formal request from the National Police prior to their departure, and was given in the company of the Indonesian envoy.

"(The Netherlands) should honor our (governmental) system and should not sweat over administrative preconditions. I think our Ambassador there should be considered as the government's representative," he said.